A humbling fifth week in Mauritius

So I should probably start by apologizing for going MIA this past week. The week was pretty dull and uneventful, so I didn't want to waste anyones precious moments reading things that weren't very interesting. To sum up work, I went back to Ile Aux Aigrettes for two days and continued installing gecko homes. I FINALLY got to see one of the little suckers in it's natural habitat, and on top of that the gecko had set up shop inside one of the older bamboo homes--so at least I know my efforts won't be wasted! Both days required us to get up at 5:45, but as a result we got to watch the sunrise on the way there, so it was a pretty gorgeous start to the day. 

More interestingly, on Friday we went to Ile aux cerf, which is a major tourist hot spot since it's a gorgeous island off the eastern coast that offers tons of activities like parasailing and boating. We had to take a dinky boat over to the island, but once there the view was beautiful since you could see the mountains and thick vegetation of the mainland. The first hundred-ish feet of shore is only ankle deep, so we laid in the water, letting the tide come in and out around us for about an hour. It was a windy but warm day, and it was so relaxing just to lounge in the sun. I had to laugh at the tourists there though. There were tons of Europeans, many of which wearing USA themed bathing suits or t-shirts which made it really difficult for me to determine whether or not I should have approached them. Usually once they started speaking French though, I figured it was a lost cause. 

Saturday was the long awaited day of Global Village. Everyone was required to bring flags, outfits, objects, and music from their country, as well as adhere to the World Cup theme. Being the American assholes we are, Wesley, Ashley and I all had the same genius idea of wearing football jerseys--not soccer (aka football for everyone else) jerseys like the rest of the AIESECers. Aside from displaying our fabulous wit, we decorated the table with flags and baseballs, as well as brought "homemade" (crappy store bought) cookies and made s'mores. Since there was no fire pit allowed on the Port Louis waterfront, we had to use a lighter to roast the marshmallows--a pretty laughable sight to anyone who actually knows what roasting marshmallows should look like. I had stole wire from the gecko-home supplies, so the four Americans were casually lighting things on fire at our booth. The s'mores were a HUGE hit though! We ran out in about 20 minutes because there was a crowd constantly hovering our booth, trying to get a taste of American culture.

Each country's booth offered food, stories, and cultural facts, so it was really interesting to peruse the various stands and learn a little bit about a ton of different places. Seeing everyone in their element was awesome because I felt like I learned so much about the friends I've made here that I didn't know about before. Global Village gave everyone a chance to share their home life with people from around the world, so in some ways it was a lot of pressure to do your country justice, but also really fun to be creative and analyze what makes your culture different than everyone else's. As a whole, it was a day well spent singing obnoxious American songs and doing tons of roll calls (AIESEC choreographed dances) to the music blaring from the DJ stand..... as well as participate in such an awesome form of cultural exchange between the Mauritian community and young interns. 

Our lack of sleep and a late Saturday night resulted in our whole project sleeping in past noon on Sunday. The other AIESEC group that lives in our building, whom we've become quite close with, was hosting an event for children that day, and had asked that our project support them by making an appearance. The small festival had started around 9 am and lasted until 4, so I knew that we really had no excuse not to show up, even though we had no idea what the event was for and what we would be doing. It took a lot of convincing since everyone was exhausted and the weather was dismal, but Wes and I somehow managed to rally everyone for the last hour of the day party. We were greeted with homemade food and smiling, laughing children, so my reluctance to attend was instantly assuaged.

I was standing to the side, watching the kids play a game of Simon Says, when I was surprise hugged from behind by a small girl in a purple tracksuit. She was beyond adorable, trying to speak to me in Creole and motioning that she wanted me to take her to get a balloon off the DJ stand. When I bent down to her level, she immediately hugged me and started kissing me on the cheek. Then she put her small hand in mine and led me over to the balloon. We spent the rest of the afternoon with her in my lap, while she cuddled with me, played with her balloon, and we did each other's hair. I kid you not, the entire time she never stopped smiling, and truly I think she was the happiest child I've ever met--so carefree and affectionate. Eventually she ran off with a few of her friends, which broke my heart a little bit since this little girl had me seriously wrapped around her tiny fingers. Shortly afterwards, one of the ladies who appeared to be some sort of teacher or authoritative figure over the class of mostly girls came up to me and started telling me about the little girl I had just been playing with. She said that the girl, who could not have been more than 3 years old, had recently been found living on the streets with her grandmother. They had no idea where or who the girl's parents were, nor how old she truly was. Thankfully, when she was found by local church goers, she was moved into the local children's shelter. What really struck me most though, was that the little girl called everyone she talked to "Mommy"--including me, although I hadn't noticed at the time because she was saying it in Creole.

Hearing this actually brought me to tears on the spot. I could not believe that something so tragic could happen to such a sweet, perfect little girl at such an incredibly young age. I was in awe of this tiny child's strength; that she could still chat with and show love to strangers without any signs of trauma or emotional damage. This little girl has suffered more in her few years of life than I ever have, which pains me to think about. It's so unbelievably unfair that she wasn't even given a chance for a normal life, that she was too young to even understand the gravity of her situation or take action against it. At the same time though, I was so overwhelmed with gratitude for the shelter for taking her in and giving her a better quality of life---that someone able had taken her under their wing. Meeting this little girl put life in a whole new perspective for me. I hope that one day I can be just like her: not living life beaten down by my hardships, but rather taking each day as an opportunity to find happiness and enjoy being alive.

After hearing this, I was approached by a different girl, who was 9 years old and relatively shy, that wanted me to dance with her. My tears were instantly wiped away as she taught me several Mauritian dances--giggling at me the entire time. We somehow attracted a small group of her friends to dance with us, but after about 20 minutes of non stop jumping and spinning, I was exhausted. Thankfully I was saved by a break in which the kids were distracted by the goody bags they were given, but this was short lived since the little girls found it more interesting to put their new clips into my hair. This was followed by a game that Chacha taught a group of kids and myself that involved her calling out a number and the kids having to get into groups of that number. The little girl and her friends that had now officially become my groupies clung to me throughout this entire game; doing anything they could to always be in my group. It was really heart warming that the girls had buddied up to me so quickly just because I had showed them some attention and kindness, but it was extremely sad when the game had to be broken up because the kids had to go home. The looks of disappointment on the girls' faces when they realized we were going to be separated made me choke up. We had been having so much fun, even though their English was pretty rudimentary and we couldn't really communicate. After we said our goodbyes and gave countless hugs, the little girls gave me their hair clips as a gift, so I wouldn't forget them. It was so unbelievably sweet, and made it that much harder to leave them.

As we got in the van and pulled away, Sam dropped yet another bombshell on me. While I had thought that only that little girl was living in a shelter, I was completely wrong. ALL of the children at the event that day were living at one of two local children's shelters because they had no parents--a fact that made my heart stop considering I had asked the girls about their families, unknowing of the situation. I couldn't stop thinking about how incredible the kids had been: sweet, loving, and so carefree. It was so so so humbling to have spent the afternoon with children that appreciated life so much, even though they had suffered through such incredible hardships. I struggle to wrap my head around the entire situation, and I admire those little kids so much. To think that I was so reluctant to go to the event in the first place, but left having had one of the best three hours I've had in a long time. The afternoon gave me so much to think about, reflect on, and appreciate, and I really hope that in my last two weeks here I can return to the shelter and spend more time with those kids. They told me one day they wanted to go to America, and I really really hope one day that dream is realized and we can be reunited. 

I apologize if this post was long or dragged on for you, but it was such a meaningful weekend that gave me so much to think about. I have learned so much about myself, about the world, and the reality of life in such a short span of time and I feel like I better understand how I want to approach life as a result--with an open heart for meeting different people and taking on each day with the goal of being happy. It was an incredible few days, and some of the most impactful of my life.